pop

Effective ad killer

Pop-up advertisements and banners have evolved into more than just simple annoyances. In many cases these complicated advertisements slow down performance and many times clicking on these links could give your computer a virus. BFilter is here to protect your system, but does it do too good a job?

This free program downloads easily and hides in the bottom right-hand tray of your screen. In our tests, the program operated as advertised. Its filtering software ensures that pop-ups never create a window that could be dangerous to click. In addition, banners that change graphics are left as just a blank … Read more

WiiWare and Virtual Console releases for this week

This week brings a color-matching puzzle game on WiiWare, along with two titles from the TurboGrafx 16 era. WiiWare Pop'Em Drop'Em SAMEGAME (Hudson Entertainment, 500 Wii points): SameGame is a puzzle game that combines color-matching and reaction time. Enjoy various gameplay styles and modes along with up to four total players. Virtual Console Bomberman '94 (1993, TurboGrafx 16, 700 Wii points): Bomberman must reassemble the planet after it's been split up. Along with the nine members of the Bomber Family, you'll be tasked with restoring the world's peace.

Detana Twin Bee (1992, TurboGrafx 16, 700 … Read more

GReader Popup puts Google Reader in every tab

If you like Google Reader, but would prefer to keep it from taking up an oh-so-important tab in your browser, you'll definitely like GReader Popup. This experimental Firefox extension pulls up a version of Google Reader that sits atop any page you have open. You can plow through feeds using all the usual keyboard shortcuts you would in Google Reader. Then, when done, you simply click the icon in the bottom right hand corner of your browser and it goes away.

No fuss, no tab switching, and most importantly--more real estate in your browser for extra tabs.

It's … Read more

Old-timey popcorn popper keeps the kernels popping

Kitchen gadgets have been around for a long time. Toasters first appeared in the early 1900s, and it seemed gadget hounds have been filling their kitchens with them ever since. Luckily, they have progressed somewhat from their earlier, more dangerous days. But there are some items that deserve a second look as possibly being the best solution to a given task.

The Whirley-Pop Stovetop Popcorn Popper is a classically styled, vintage-inspired design that uses good old-fashioned arm strength to accomplish the task. Popcorn is popped directly on the stovetop. Simply place kernels and oil in the pot and start cranking. … Read more

Enhance your contextual menus

FinderPop is a free preference pane that extends the functionality of OS X's contextual menus, helping you more quickly browse, open, move, preview, and get info on folders, files, volumes, and apps using your mouse, in much the same way that other "launcher" apps increase efficiency with keyboard commands. This popular, venerable application has been around since Mac OS 9, and one of its main purposes is to emulate the old Apple Menu Items folder.

At its most basic, FinderPop lets you browse the contents of a folder or volume just by control-clicking on it, while also … Read more

Selling songs as iPhone apps

Eliot Van Buskirk over at Wired has an interesting post today about Seattle band Presidents of the United States of America.

In addition to selling its songs on iTunes in the normal fashion, PUSA has just released a $2.99 application for the iPhone and iPod Touch that will let you stream songs from four albums (the ones whose rights are owned by the band), plus assorted other flotsam (live tracks, demos, whatever).

The application was built by Melodeo, whose vice president of business development is none other than PUSA's Dave Dederer.

The songs are streamed, not downloaded, which … Read more

Will Katy Perry kiss a Grammy and like it?

To get ready for the show, warm up to this year's top contenders in one free and continuous playlist featuring Coldplay, Katy Perry, Lil Wayne, The Jonas Brothers, Radiohead, Duffy, Brazilian Girls, and many more.

The 51st Annual Grammy Awards will air on Sunday February 8 at 8 p.m. on CBS. In the meantime, listen to this free playlist by clicking on the green button below, then visit Download Music to stream and download thousands more free songs.

Pop-up creator lacks some handy features

Building a custom pop-up for inclusion in an application or Web page is simple and straightforward with Popup Software, it's just not possible to see how you're doing or get any help.

The program's compact interface with tabbed navigation is easy to follow, but we were still disappointed to find that the Help link is for a page that has moved or no longer exists. Users are on their own if they have questions. Fortunately this utility is pretty easy to figure out. We liked that we could set the frequency of a pop-up's appearance, and … Read more

Paint your toast with Pop Art Toaster

I have never questioned the wisdom of encouraging the artistic side of a growing child (hint: I encourage it), but this toaster seems to me more than just a bit wacky. Sure, kids benefit from making mealtime engaging and fun, but if you think you had problems with them drawing their masterpieces on the wall, just wait until you train then to paint with their food!

Nevertheless, if you encourage your child's interest in art at every opportunity, this Pop Art Toaster Creativity Coloring Kit might be up your alley. It comes with six plates to burn predetermined designs … Read more